Consequences of lack of self discipline:Here I am going to look at the police service and investigate how members of this service could bring the force to disrepute by not having sufficient self

Miriam Smith-Renieblas Discipline in the Public Services

Task 5:

“Explore the possible effects of lack of self discipline in the given public service”

Consequences of lack of self discipline:

Here I am going to look at the police service and investigate how members of this service could bring the force to disrepute by not having sufficient self discipline and behaving in an inadequate way. Such behaviours could have terrible consequences. I shall be talking about the following consequences:

Consequences involving members of the public

Consequences affecting members of that public service

Consequences involving the force

Consequences involving members of the public:

Members of the police force behaving inappropriately can lead to a member of the public suffering negative consequences.

I shall now give an example of a situation in which this can occur.

A police officer doesn’t carry out all the checks necessary after a violent burglary has taken place, this results in not collecting enough evidence to find the suspect. And therefore the case is left unsolved. Later on there is another burglary which takes places in the area by the same original burglar. In this case the home owner sustains serious injuries.

This has affected members of the public because another burglary has taken place, which could have been avoided same as the injuries the second victim sustained.

Members of the police force have a great responsibility with their job they have to make sure everything is done appropriately, to the best of their ability. One little mistake can cost far too much.

Consequences affecting members of that public service:

I shall now give an example of an incident which could have negative consequences upon members of the pubic service.

Members of the police force are to work with each other as a team, if a police officer doesn’t share al the information they have with the rest of the team it could result other police officers being injured and the investigation being negatively affected by this.

This would affect the morale of the team as they would feel frustrated about the events that had taken place and they would loose ...

This is a preview of the whole essay

Consequences affecting members of that public service:

I shall now give an example of an incident which could have negative consequences upon members of the pubic service.

This would affect the morale of the team as they would feel frustrated about the events that had taken place and they would loose trust in one another.

Consequences involving the force:

I shall now give two examples of situations which can affect the police force as a whole:

- If when making an arrest a group of officers used excessive force and the subject sustained serious injuries, then turns out to be innocent. The subject would quite rightly be unhappy about the situation and would sue the force and receive compensation.

- Police officers carrying out a ‘stop and search’ without lawful reasons bring the police into disrepute, as it can then be assumed by people that this ‘stop and search’ was carried out because of a stereotype towards that person, this could be because of their race, age, or because of the way in which that person is dressed.

Incidents like the ones I have written about have serious consequences in the ways society view the police force. The public would loose respect for the force, and therefore loose part of the authority they have which in turn would make policing in the area harder.

Self discipline:

It is important that a good level of self discipline is maintained. This involves behaving in the most appropriate way. Self discipline is formed by a number of qualities which are personal presentation, punctuality, time management, reliability, attendance, composure attitude, performance and personality. I shall now give an outline of what is meant by each of these:

Personal presentation: people make assumptions about us judging us by the way we look. This is simply because they will notice out appearance within seconds of seeing us much, much before they get to learn about us. In many cases people you will encounter will never get to know much about you at all. This is why it is important to present yourself in an adequate way. This becomes even more important when you are working within the public services, where it is important to have the respect of society.

Punctuality: it is vital to be punctual for a variety of reasons. You are to get places in time because in many occasions people will not wait for you to arrive. If you are late to catch the train you will suffer the consequences because you will not be waited for. Within the public services at the beginning of your shift you are briefed with vital information involving the duties you are to carry out. If you miss out on this you will be missing out on vital information that you will be catching up on all day.

Time management: this quality is essential to organize your day time-efficiently. Without good time management skills punctuality is not possible. In order to manage your time appropriately you are to prioritise the important tasks and organise your time keeping on mind your workload and being realistic about how long it will take to carry out each task.

Reliability: we all want to be counted upon and want people to think that that we are reliable. But for this to occur you have to show that you won’t let people down, that indeed you are trustworthy, as the consequences of pitting your trust on someone that doesn’t deserve it can be terrible, more so in the public services.

Attendance: it is important to have good attendance levels as although we may not be looking forward to going to work or college one day because we will be faced with a challenge, for example. But only will you be missing on a chance to better ourselves and become stronger individuals, it will also affect how others view us.

Composure: within the public services composure is a necessary skill if you are to carry out your job appropriately. You cannot let your personal feelings separate tote decisions you have to make. You cannot let your feelings stop you from doing your job properly.

Attitude: you need to have a good attitude towards your work to be able to work at your best abilities. As part of a team a negative attitude would have a negative effect on the rest of the group, whereas a positive attitude will have a positive effect on the group.

Performance: the general public need to know that if they ever are in need of the public services they can count on them to perform to the best of their ability. This is the reason why it is important to do your best not just settle for what is enough.

Personality: our personality is what makes us different to others. In the public services even though you would be wearing the same uniform as your fellow colleagues your personality is what will make you different and be seen as an individual in the eyes of society, because of this your personality needs to be as adequate as possible.

Current affairs:

Bahrain police 'beat' protesters

About 50 people in Bahrain where beaten and arrested by police in the capital, Manama, a human rights activist and other witnesses say.

Nabil Rajab said police acted to disperse demonstrators who protested outside the king's royal court against the lack of jobs in the Gulf kingdom,

He said among those beaten was Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, the head of the banned Bahrain Centre for Human Rights.

The interior ministry said police acted after being attacked by the protesters. Its statement said a number of police officers were hurt by the demonstrators who refused a police order to leave the area. Those arrested where later released.

The above article was found in the following website. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4108990.stm